Benefit concert with Seize the Day and Joop.
Seize the Day have just returned from a Christmas tour of Palestine and this will be their only concert before their next trip to India to support small scale traditional farmers. Joop is a West Papuan, formerly a member of Arnold Ap's group Mambesak. Arnold Ap, an anthropologist from Cendarawasih University in West Papua, was tortured and murdered by the Indonesian military in 1984. Joop was granted political asylum in Holland, where he now lives. He came briefly to England to record a CD last autumn and his CD will be launched at this concert.
For those not familiar with Seize the Day, their songs deal with human rights and environmental issues. They played on the main stage at the last Glastonbury festival and had appeared in previous Glastonbury festivals, the Reading Festival, the Cambridge Folk Festival and the Towersea Folk Festival. They have also supported countless green causes with non-profit and benefit concerts across the country. They have played in Europe several times and in 2000 they toured the USA. They have made something of a cult-hit with their song "With my hammer", a true story about the Swords into Ploughshares action taken by four women to disarm a BAc Hawk fighter destined to be used against the people of East Timor, where a genocide at a massive scale had been taking place - after 6 months in jail, the women were found not guilty.
Their sound is based on electric and
acoustic guitars and bass and also congas, drums,
flute, sax and a massive didgeridoo. They do not use
commercial channels for distribution of their CDs.
Like a handful of other like-minded bands depend for
the sale of their records on green fairs, festivals
and their concerts. Copies can, however, be occasionally found at the Inner Bookshop at 111 Magdalene Road (tel: 01865 245521). They will also be on sale at this event.
"A voice for the voiceless. Bold Beautiful, frontline folk."
John Vittal, Environmental Editor, The Guardian
"Really impressive. Their songs embrace the full spectrum of the human condition. A very enjoyable and powerful musical experience."
"The authentic voice of protest in Britain today."
George Monbiot, author & journalist
The West Papua Friendship Society is a student group
at the University of Oxford that promotes Papuan culture and aims to raise
funds for student exchanges and short research projects. West Papua is the
other half of Papua New Guinea, has the largest rainforest in the Asia-Pacific
and together with PNG the largest populations of indigenous peoples. West Papua
has been under Indonesian occupation and closed to foreign journalists since
1969, the indigenous people have been marginalised and some of the smaller
tribes are on the brink of extinction. For more information, see
the Oxford University West Papua Friendship Society website and the
Campeace webpage on West Papua
Event Date: 19 January 2002, 7:30pm
Place: East Oxford Community Centre, 44b Princes
Street (on the corner with Cowley Road), Oxford
Tickets £7(£5 concessions) from the Oxford Playhouse
Box Office, Beaumont Street, Oxford. Tel 01865 305305
In benefit of the Oxford West Papua Friendship Society
For a plan of Cowley Road see http://www.cowleyroad.com/map/map.cfm
Contact: Nick Angelopoulos
Oxford Papuan Rights Campaign
Tel: 0775 2982556
For interviews you may contact Theo Simon and
Shannon Smy (from Seize the Day) at 0778 8446109 or preferably at 0174 9860767
